According to numbers from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC, as of 18 December 2014, Jordan has seen 18 MERS cases and 5 deaths in the Middle Eastern country since the virus was first seen in 2012.

The MERS virus was first seen in Saudi Arabia in April 2012. The Saudi Kingdom has been by far hit harder than any other country reporting at least 821 cases and 355 deaths, according to ECDC data.

Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) is viral respiratory illness caused by a coronavirus called MERS-CoV. Most people who have been confirmed to have MERS-CoV infection developed severe acute respiratory illness. They had fever, cough, and shortness of breath. About 30% of people confirmed to have MERS-CoV infection have died.